“Conspiracy theories make a very tempting promise: Just stop the villain and you get your life back. That’s what we all want,” he says. “It’s a charming narrative that’s very easy to buy into: Just stop Bill Gates from polluting the airwaves with 5G and we can go out again and our kids can go back to school.”
It’s no surprise that so many people are currently in thrall to this narrative. But studies show that some people are especially prone to these beliefs, even without the motivating uncertainty of a global health crisis. Researchers have found that this “conspiracy mentality” correlates with particular personality traits, including low levels of trust and an increased need for closure, along with feelings of powerlessness, low self-esteem, paranoid thinking, and a need to feel unique.
“It’s a worldview that believes nothing happens without a reason and that there are sinister forces at work behind the curtain,” Imhoff says. “It’s a fairly stable worldview, so it doesn’t really matter what happens—that will be their interpretation.”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202011/the-mind-conspiracy-theorist
"religion was probably the first great conspiracy theory -------- from there on ----------- the billy gates tattoo and imbedded chip - was an easy sell "
Both the authors note the connection with religion.... the traits here mentioned explain religious views as much as conspiracy thought bubblers.
Humans "have always been thinkers"....... true and false simultaneously. thinking involves self-discipline to rule out the improbable and to ensure you have the evidence that enables conclusions that reflect that evidence, but includes a preparedness to abandon previous beliefs when new evidence presents which contradicts belief but fits well and explains earlier data. Many don't have this discipline, called scientific rigour, as they seek easier explanations that don't require data, which is hard to reckon with.
